Product Description

The Hungarian Revolution of October 1956 was the most important armed rising against the USSR during the Cold War. The spontaneous demonstrations by students and workers were joined by Hungarian soldiers, and the first Soviet troops sent in to crush the insurgence were forced to withdraw. However, after a brief hopeful pause, stronger Soviet forces invaded again, bring with them tanks, paratroopers and NKVD units. The rebels were crushed. Published to mark the 50th anniversary of this uprising, this book uses new sources and provides an interesting reassessment five decades after the revolution.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #511134 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-07
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 64 pages

About the Author
ERWIN A. SCHMIDL was born in Vienna in 1956, and studied history
and anthropology at the University in Vienna. He holds a doctorate (Vienna
1981) and a Habilitation (University of Innsbruck 2001). Previously he has
held different positions in the Austrian Ministry of Defence and currently
head of the contemporary history department at the Institute for Strategic
Studies at the Austrian National Defence Academy in Vienna. He is married
and lives in Vienna and Graz.

LÁSZLÓ RITTER was born in Budapest in 1977, and graduated with an M.A. in
history from the Central European University in Budapest. He is currently a
PhD student who also works as a documentary film maker. Since 2001 he has
been a researcher at Institute of History of the Hungarian Academy of
Sciences. He is married and lives in Budapest.

Customer Reviews

Accessible read and rigorously well researched
The Osprey's Elite 148 represents an excellent standard summary on the Hungarian Uprising in 1956 for the military history buffs. No question, the book repeats much what has already been discussed on the political history of the events. However, it brings all necessary information of the earlier works together, along with much that has appeared more recently on the military side of the conflict. Perhaps the strongest work in the book lies in the chapter on the Hungarian insurgents. It shed light on the origins, tactics and weapons of the civilian fighters and helps to understand how they managed to defeat the Soviets in October. The book is illustrated with numerous fascinating photos and well-researched plates.

Nothing to rave about
Rather boring account of Hungarian Recolution 1956.
Quick run down of events and look at different groups involved in fighting.
Nothing you couldn't find on wikipedia for free.
No idea why Osprey made this an ELITE number...
Over priced for what you get.